Meet Terique Owens, rising San Francisco 49ers star – just like his NFL Hall of Famer dad Terrell Owens once was: the Gen Zer signed a multimillion-dollar, 3-year contract right out of college

One of the latest football players to follow in his father’s footsteps is Terique Owens, who signed with the San Francisco 49ers in April, following a university career playing for the Missouri State Bears. His famous dad is, of course, Hall of Famer Terrell Owens, or T.O.

Here’s everything you need to know about up-and-coming NFL star Terique Owens.

What is Terique Owens’ background?

He even went as far as saying he wasn’t a big fan of American football as a child: “My mom, she tried to get me to play football growing up, but I didn’t care to play. I didn’t really want to play. I didn’t like contact.”

It wasn’t until his second year at university that the self-described late bloomer to the game caught the bug – even then, it was only because he got to play with his friends.

How did Terique Owens kick off his NFL career?

Despite not being drafted, Owens caught the attention of 49ers general manager John Lynch, who had played for well over a decade in the NFL.

Lynch described the young Owens’ potential, telling NBC, “I saw him running at me. I played against T.O. a lot and there was something in that stride that was very familiar. It was something about the gait. It’s crazy how those things translate.”

Whether the team was Owens’ first choice is unknown, but one thing is certain: he will start where his father kicked off his career and went on to spend eight years, between 1996 and 2003.

Having a Hall of Famer father undoubtedly has its benefits. Besides industry connections and name recognition, the wide receiver gets plenty of advice and pointers from his dad. “We’ve been working every year, all through the year, putting work in the off-season,” Owens revealed.

Fans are still discovering the potential and star power of the younger Owens. He has nearly 30,500 Instagram followers at the time of writing, but has been slow to share public updates regarding his personal life. Could this be because he’s grown up so close to the spotlight?

What has Terrell Owens said about his son Terique?

T.O. has said that he’s proud of how far his son has come and respects him for doing it on his own terms, per the 49ers website. “I’m proud of him just to get to this point,” said the elder Owens. “He has to take these moments as huge opportunities for him to show what he can do.”

As for whether he thinks that Terique followed in his footsteps, T.O. emphasised that the career choice was his son’s decision, describing the move as “a step in the right direction”.